Plug valve



Jan. 12, 1932. F. J OSTROSKE PLUG VALVE Filed Feb. 1, 1929 tom,

5 m w 6 0 M W M Patented Jan. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK J'- OSTROSKE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO; HELEN OSTROSKE ADMINISTRATRIX. OF SAID FRANK J. OSTROSKE, DECEASED PLUG VALVE Application filed February 1, 1929.

This invention relates to valves of the plug type and has for its primary object to provide means by which the valve after being worn through use may be restored to its original condition at very small expense and without the replacement of any of the primary parts of the valve.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a valve containing auxiliary means for shutting off the fluid supply so that the valve may be dismantled for repair or other purposes.

A further object of the invention consists in the construction of a plug valve in which the plug is automatically raised and lowered as it is manipulated for the purpose of opening and. closing the valve.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of means by which chattering of the plug as it is raised or lowered is eliminated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings; in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the valve in assembled condition.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the plug.

Figure 4 is a plan view of one type of spring for holding the valve packing in proper position; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view of a modified construction of plug.

Referring to the drawings more in detail the numeral 1 indicates the valve casing and is provided with inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3 respectively, which are threaded to receive suitable connections. The base of the casing is further provided with an opening 4 through which extends the stem of a hollow plug to be later referred to.

The plug of the valve is indicated by the numeral 5 and is slightly tapered to conform to the internal taper 6 of the bore of the casing 1. The plug is provided with a stem 7 to which may be connected an operating handle 8 and is further provided on its lower Serial No. 336,766.

end with a bearing member or pin 9. Extending transversely through the plug 5 is a tapered opening 10 which is adapted to align with the inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3 of the valve casing when the handle 8 is turned to move the plug to open position. F rictionally held within the opening 10 is a tapered tube 11 which has its respective ends of an internal diameter to correspond with the inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3. This tube is provided with lugs 12 by means of which it may be driven into tight frictional engagement with the plug opening 10 and which also serve an abutment for removing this tube for the purpose of substituting a new tube in the event that the original tube should become unduly worn.

As will be noted from Figure 1 the plug 5 is of a diameter substantially less than the internal bore 6 of the casing, although its upper end is provided with an enlargement or shoulder 13 which forms an abutment for a sleeve 14 which encircles the plug. This sleeve is provided with diametrically opposed ribs 15 which extend longitudinally of the interior of the sleeve and are positioned within grooves 16 formed on the exterior of the plug 5. By this means the sleeve is held against rotation with respect to the plug 5 and its diametrically opposed openings 17 are therefore held in alignment with the transverse opening 10 of the plug. In this connection it is to be noted that the tube 11 is of a slightly greater length than the length of the opening 10 in the plug 5 whereby the ends of the tube will extend somewhat beyond the surface of the plug 5 and provide means for holding the sleeve 14 against longitudinal movement with respect to the plug.

In order that the valve may be more or less dismantled for the purpose of repair or the like I have provided means within the valve by which the inlet and outlet ports may be temporarily shut off independently of the plug 5. For this purpose I have provided a hollow plug 18 provided with diametrically opposed openings 19 adapted to be brought into and out of cooperative relationship with the inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3 of the eas- (ill ing and having its upper edge in abutting relation with the annular shoulder 13. This hollow plug has its walls disposed between the sleeve 14 on the plug 5 and the inner wall of the casing, and is provided at its lower end with a stem 20 which extends through the lower opening 4 in the valve casing and is provided with threads for receiving a nut 21 by means of which the hollow plug is normally held with its openings 19 in registration with the inlet and outlet ports. The lower end of the stem 20 may be squared as indicated by the numeral 22 for the reception of a wrench or the like so that the hollow plug may be turned through an angle of 90 so as to shut ed the inlet and outlet ports and permit the main portions of the valve to be dismantled for the purposes above indicated.

To the end that wear and tear on the valve parts may be eliminated as much as possible and also for the purpose of reducing the amount of power necessary to rotate the plug 5, means are provided for raising the plug slightly as it is rotated, thereby reducing friction between the parts. This means comprises a ring 23 which is seated in an annular pocket 24 formed in the upper open end of the casing 1 and in which are rotatably mounted two diametrically opposed rollers 25. These rollers extend into cam slots or grooves 26 formed in the annular shoulder 13 of the plug and are held against bodily movement with respect to the casing by means of their hubs 27 which are seated in vertically disposed grooves 28 in the casing. The ring 28 is held against its seat by means of the casing cover 29 which is locked in posi tion on the casing 1 by means of bolts 30, although it will be obvious that any other preferred means for connecting the valve cover and easing may be provided. I

By reason of the contour of the cam tracks 26 it will be apparent that as the plug 5 begins its rotative movement the rollers 25 will cause the same to be raised slightly, thereby reducing friction between the moving parts; and as the plug reaches full open position the plug will be again returned to its lowermost position in tight sealing engagement with the inner wall of the sleeve plug 18.

As the plug 5 is raised in the manner just described there is a tendency for the same to cause a chattering sound by reason of the action of the fluid passing through the valve,

' and in order to eliminatethis noise as well as the wearing away of the parts by reason of this vibratory movement of the plug, the stem or pin 9 formed on the lower end of the plug 5 is seated in a cylindrical recess 31 provided in the base of the sleeve plug 18. The cylindrical stem 7 formed on the upper end of the plug 5 and to which the operating handle 8 is connected, has its bearing in the valve casing cover 29, so that the plug 5 is held perfectly centered with respect to the casing 1 even when raised from its seat by the cam rollers 25. Thus, any chattering of the parts is entirely eliminated at all times.

Suitable packing 33 is disposed about the stem 7 and is held in a pocket of the cover 29 by means of a spring 34 provided with arms 35 which rest against the top of the plug and tend to hold the same in its lowermost position. Additional packing 36 also surrounds the stem 7 and may be held in position by means of a plate 87 provided with a downwardly extending portion 38 adapted to compress the packing about the stem when the plate is forced into position.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 5, I have depicted a plug 40 which is identical with the plug 5 previously described except that the cam track 41 is provided with two indented portions 42. These indentations serve to releasably lock the plug in partly open position by reason of the fact that the spring 34 will force the plug down so that the rollers 25 will engage in the one or the other of the indentations and releasably hold the plug against rotation. Obviously, various other designs of cam tracks may be employed for releasably holding the plug in intermediate positions between its full closed position and its full open position, and it will be understood that the cam tracks shown are merely intended as illustrative of. this feature of the invention.

In the operation of the device, as the handle 8 is moved to turn the valve to open position the plug, as well as its sleeve 14, is raised slightly from its lowermost position, thereby relieving the friction between the tapered sleeve 14 and the tapered wall of the hollow plug 18; thus not only facilitating the opening of the valve, but also reducing wear on the moving parts. As the plug is moved to full open position the same is again moved to its lowermost position by reason of the contour of the cam track 26; and it will be apparent that during this raising and lowering of the plug the same is held in true alignment with the casing 1 and is prevented from chattering by reason of the pin and socket bearing at the lower end of the plug 5 and the bearing formed at the upper end of the plug by the stem 7. Moreover, if either the tube 11 or the sleeve 14 becomes unduly worn the same may be readily removed and a new one substituted by merely rotating the hollow plug 18 through 90 so as to bring its imperforate walls into registration with the inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3, thereby shutting off the entrance of fluid into the casing. Thus, it will appear that when a valve becomes worn through extended use the same may be readily repaired at a very slight cost and without replacing any of the primary parts of the valve.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be observed that I have devised an extremely novel construction of plug valve in which the plug is automatically raised and lowered by a single movement of the handle 5 in opening and closing the valve; that means are provided for reconditioning the valve without the expense of replacing any of the primary parts thereof, and with little or no inconvenience. It will further be noted that all of these advantages are provided in a valve which is so constructed as to avoid any possibility of chattering of the parts when the valve is either in open or closed position.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described what I now believe to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that the disclosure herein is merely illustrative of the invention and that the same may be modified in various minor details without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such changes are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claim.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A plug valve including a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a plug rotatably mounted therein and provided with a transverse opening for cooperation with said ports, a hollow plug rotatably mounted in said casing and having its walls disposed between said firstnamed plug and the walls of the casing, said hollow plug provided with openings for cooperation with said inlet and outlet ports,

and further provided with a cylindrical recess in its base, a pin on said first-named plug seated in said recess, and means for raising and lowe ring said first-named rotated.

FRANK J. OSTROSKE. 

